# Box of RASS Arrived with MOLD!



## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

So today my box of Ramon Allones Specially Selected arrived. No customs which was GREAT! What wasn't so great though is that 8 of the sticks came with MOLD on them. I can't believe it! All 8 were from the bottom layer in the box, the top layer all appears to be fine.

Take a look at the pictures to see for yourself.

I've e-mailed the retailer and to let them know, I haven't asked them to do anything (yet), want to see how they respond.

Steve


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## RobustBrad (Oct 20, 2009)

If they are a reputable and stand up retailer. You should have issue on getting them replaced. Keep us posted.

Cheers,
Brad


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## smokin nightly (Sep 9, 2009)

Wow Steve, that sucks...You should let your vendor know about this...


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## havanajohn (Apr 4, 2009)

That sucks!


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## JCK (Nov 9, 2006)

Wipe the white stuff off, that's definately mold... use a dry towel or a dry paint brush. Tuck them away and check on them periodically. I've never had a mold problem spread outside a box or within the singles tray after wiping off. My humis are typically in the 65-69% range. The green lines may not be mold, but more likely water spots from the fermentation process. It's hard to tell from the photos.

The cigars are fine.

This chit happens. Some vendors keep their cigars wetter than optimal to prepare for a long journey.


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

No way I would accept that without a full box replacement and shipping on them as well. Sorry that sucks to wait and get those!


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## Rkyro (Sep 7, 2008)

Had the same problem with a box of party shorts last month. I just cleaned them up and stashed the box away.


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

JCK said:


> Wipe the white stuff off, that's definately mold... use a dry towel or a dry paint brush. Tuck them away and check on them periodically. I've never had a mold problem spread outside a box or within the singles tray after wiping off. My humis are typically in the 65-69% range. The green lines may not be mold, but more likely water spots from the fermentation process. It's hard to tell from the photos.
> 
> The cigars are fine.
> 
> This chit happens. Some vendors keep their cigars wetter than optimal to prepare for a long journey.


That's what I did, wiped them off. Although I must admit I just used my fingers to wipe them off rather than a towel or brush, just some light finger work took care of it. The top shelf of my humi where they currently are is 65%. I'm not terribly worried about it, but surprised they arrived that way. It should be interesting to see what the vendor has to say about it though, especially since they were shipped last Monday and arrived yesterday (couldn't pick them up until today though) so they were only in transit for 7 days.

What's actually kind of funny is that I had an order of beads and hygrometers from Heartfelt that shipped the same day from them as these cigars were shipped from Europe (both shipped last Monday). The cigars from Europe made it here in a week, still waiting on the beads and hygrometers from Heartfelt to get here.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

Like Ji said, this isn't a common occurrence but it does happen occasionally. A reputable vendor will replace them if you really want them to. As for me, I just wipe them off, keep them segregated for about 10 days and if no more mold grows I will then add them in with the regular stock.

Also, the second pic with the green is not mold but just water spots on the wrapper leaves


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

madurolover said:


> Like Ji said, this isn't a common occurrence but it does happen occasionally. A reputable vendor will replace them if you really want them to. As for me, I just wipe them off, keep them segregated for about 10 days and if no more mold grows I will then add them in with the regular stock.
> 
> Also, the second pic with the green is not mold but just water spots on the wrapper leaves


Thanks for the feedback. If the mold isn't going to spread and isn't going to come back then I really don't care and don't need them replaced. I just spread them out over two shelves in the humi away from the other sticks (unfortunately the humi is a bit on the empty side, fortunately that means I can spread them out), I'll keep an eye on them for the next 10 days and hope the mold doesn't return.

re: the green in the second picture, I wasn't sure what exactly that was but I'm glad to hear it wasn't some sort of mold too. Good to know.


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## Snake Hips (May 30, 2008)

smelvis said:


> No way I would accept that without a full box replacement and shipping on them as well. Sorry that sucks to wait and get those!


Over-reaction, much?


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

little bit...brush them off, and keep an eye on them...you will be fine...


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

Snake Hips said:


> Over-reaction, much?


No not at all I am still working on insuring my collection it is to big to take a chance on one lousy box and I wouldn't want to mess with it as well I would want to know how they would handle it anyway, And like others say any reputable retailer would be embarrassed and want to make you happy. :hippie:

Someone kick your dog today?


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## eyesack (Jul 19, 2009)

Mmmmmm... Dog... -_- 

edit o shit that's post 1k! woot! lullz and it happens to be my first post in this part of Puff... I must be getting ready to leave the bunny hill... O_O


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

eyesack said:


> Mmmmmm... Dog... -_-
> 
> edit o shit that's post 1k! woot! lullz and it happens to be my first post in this part of Puff... I must be getting ready to leave the bunny hill... O_O


I'm sorry Isaac can you translate for and old fart?:sorry:


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

Looks like that _fuzzy __plume _I was hearin' about on another thread. :rotfl:


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## Snake Hips (May 30, 2008)

smelvis said:


> No not at all I am still working on insuring my collection it is to big to take a chance on one lousy box and I wouldn't want to mess with it as well I would want to know how they would handle it anyway, And like others say any reputable retailer would be embarrassed and want to make you happy. :hippie:
> 
> Someone kick your dog today?


Nobody kicked my dog today - I was wondering the same about you with that response about returning the whole box 

I was just trying to say, that teensy bit of mold is excusable to me. First of all because it's just a little bit, which any retailer could easily miss. The vendors keep their product at high humidity both because they store so much product that they don't want to underhumidify any of it (overhumidification is correctable, but drying out is not) and because they often ship long distances, and that security comes with a small risk. Also, for that little bit of mold, which has done no damage to the cigars, I wouldn't want to wait an extra two or three weeks for my cigars, pester the retailer with a trivial problem, and have my cigars go through Canadian Customs a second time (doubling the risk) for something so minimal as a couple spots of mold on a couple of cigars in the box, when I could just wipe them off and be just as happy.

Yes, any reputable retailer will want to make you happy, but I only try to be a PITA when the cigars are actually damaged, or when they are sub-par, not when they arrive with a tiny bit of mold.

I understand the concern about your collection, but mold doesn't spread after you remove it from the affected cigars. And I don't think insurance covers contraband


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

Snake Hips said:


> Nobody kicked my dog today - I was wondering the same about you with that response about returning the whole box
> 
> Yes, any reputable retailer will want to make you happy, but I only try to be a PITA when the cigars are actually damaged, or when they are sub-par, not when they arrive with a tiny bit of mold.
> 
> I understand the concern about your collection, but mold doesn't spread after you remove it from the affected cigars. And I don't think insurance covers contraband


Sorry I may have overacted to your comment! It would still scare me, the couple of times I had an issue it was in the smaller humis and then I probably over reacted I gave them away to someone who wanted to wipe them off, Is the green mold different than the white spots. I had one when I came home from a trip and a friend was watching them for me, anyway the mold was green and way worse than in the photos above. The ends were like an chia pets. LOL

It's amazing as long as we smoke we learn stuff new all the time, Okay maybe I would ask the same question before returning, but I would still be concerned. Sorry if I came off rough.

Dave

Oh sorry the insurance will be a set value, mostly fire and yes it will cost more, but i think if I get hit they will center on the electronics and tools. 
Anyway thanks for the detailed explanation I am new to ordering long distance and should receive my 1st real soon.


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## eyesack (Jul 19, 2009)

smelvis said:


> I'm sorry Isaac can you translate for and old fart?:sorry:


Rofl! I've been told that us Koreans eat dog LOL! then that was followed by a -_- (face lol) and then I was exclaiming that I just hit my one-thousandth post haha!


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## smelvis (Sep 7, 2009)

eyesack said:


> Rofl! I've been told that us Koreans eat dog LOL! then that was followed by a -_- (face lol) and then I was exclaiming that I just hit my one-thousandth post haha!


Well my brother ate dog in Vietnam once he said it was good until he found out what it was. Oh well probably tasted like chicken. LOL Unless he was pulling my leg which he often does.

BTW that's a lot of posting you getting any studying done.


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## eyesack (Jul 19, 2009)

Hahaha yeaaaah... I... Uhhhh... :bolt: ninja-vanish!!!!


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## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

If there is no sign of mold on the foot then you should be fine. As mentioned, set these aside and check on them in a week and so on. No customs Yahoo! :banana:


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## Mustard (Jan 31, 2008)

Doesn't seem like mold to me. It appears to be plume on pictures 1 and 3. Those green discoloration on the wrapper are water marks on picture 2.


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## eyesack (Jul 19, 2009)

No, I think that's mold man... Not in pic 2, but in 1&3. My experience with plume has been a much lighter dusting on the surface of the cigar, not concentrated poof-balls that look like what happens on bagels but white...


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

So I received a response from the retailer. For those questioning pictures 1 and 3 (I think we all agree picture 2 is not mold) - the white stuff was fuzzy and stuck out off of the cigar by at least a full mm. While a mm isn't big, that's quite a bit on a 50 RG cigar.

Anyways, here is the response:



> Bonjour Monsieur <my last name removed>, Thank you for your kind mail. I hope you are well. Excellent news for the safe reception of your package and always a pleasure. The mold you describe is called cigar dust. This occurs when the pores of the wrapper leaf get clogged (much like our own skin), usually due to over humidity. This can occur during the shipping, due to the extreme pressure and temperature changes experienced. You simply need to gently brush your cigars with a soft clean brush to remove these blockages. In this way your cigar will be able to breath again. This causes no effect on the smoke or taste of your cigar and is a common occurrence (we have to clean all the cigars in our humidor every six months). Once the cigars are cleaned and settle back into the correct humidor conditions, they will smoke perfectly. I hope you will enjoy your cigars. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Enjoy Yours <vendor name removed>


So there you have it. The vendor pretty much said the same thing the rest of you did. Am I satisfied... well, as someone else said in this thread, no Canadian Customs so ya, I'm satisified as long as the mold doesn't come back. The last thing I want to do is send it back and chance getting them hung up in Customs the second time around.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

96Brigadier said:


> So I received a response from the retailer. For those questioning pictures 1 and 3 (I think we all agree picture 2 is not mold) - the white stuff was fuzzy and stuck out off of the cigar by at least a full mm. While a mm isn't big, that's quite a bit on a 50 RG cigar.
> 
> Anyways, here is the response:
> 
> So there you have it. The vendor pretty much said the same thing the rest of you did. Am I satisfied... well, as someone else said in this thread, no Canadian Customs so ya, I'm satisified as long as the mold doesn't come back. The last thing I want to do is send it back and chance getting them hung up in Customs the second time around.


Excellent! :tu


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

One last question - I just used my finger to brush it off. Should I go back over them with a soft brush or not? i.e. is the brush going to do anything my finger didn't do?


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

Steve, I have never used my finger to wipe mold off. I usually use a soft cloth. I would think they will be fine as long as it appears that you got it all. Just keep separate for a bit and if you notice it growing back wipe with a brush or soft cloth.


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## Mustard (Jan 31, 2008)

When you brushed it off with your fingers, was there any trace of the substance left on the cigar? was it basically effortless on your part to brush it off with your fingers?


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## McCleod (Apr 16, 2008)

Mustard said:


> When you brushed it off with your fingers, was there any trace of the substance left on the cigar? was it basically effortless on your part to brush it off with your fingers?


And, what did it taste like?

Just kidding!


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

Mustard said:


> When you brushed it off with your fingers, was there any trace of the substance left on the cigar? was it basically effortless on your part to brush it off with your fingers?


Yes, it was effortless to brush it off with my fingers. I'll take a soft cloth to them tonight to be sure though, UFC 106 is quickly approaching and I want one of these for that night  Although with Lesnar pulling out of 106 it won't be as good.

P.S. - I forgot to mention, the date on the box is March 08. This being my first box I've ordered like this (I've only made smaller orders in the past) I don't know if that's good or not, but it seems good to me since in theory that means these sticks are already over 1.5 years old. I'm going to verify with the retailer that is in fact the age of these sticks, they say they open each box to verify the quality before they go into their humidor and this box was indeed opened.


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## Mustard (Jan 31, 2008)

If it s completely gone from the wrapper surface then you don't have to worry about it. Enjoy the cigars and especially that have at least a year of age on them already.


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## Shaz (Oct 10, 2008)

I was going to ask you if they had opened the box for inspection. Originally, when you described this to me, I imagined more mold than what the pix show. The supplier is indeed a reputable one. I think you've done well. I definitely would wipe them off with a soft cloth. I would also do a closer inspection on the remaining cigars, and maybe use the cloth on them, just to be sure.


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## Strick (Aug 21, 2008)

You have done the right thing...Put them in the humi and enjoy...


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## Snake Hips (May 30, 2008)

smelvis said:


> Sorry I may have overacted to your comment! It would still scare me, the couple of times I had an issue it was in the smaller humis and then I probably over reacted I gave them away to someone who wanted to wipe them off, Is the green mold different than the white spots. I had one when I came home from a trip and a friend was watching them for me, anyway the mold was green and way worse than in the photos above. The ends were like an chia pets. LOL
> 
> It's amazing as long as we smoke we learn stuff new all the time, Okay maybe I would ask the same question before returning, but I would still be concerned. Sorry if I came off rough.
> 
> ...


Yeah, green mold and blue mold is the bad kind. You do NOT want to smoke a cigar that's been afflicted with such molds, because they go deeper than the wrapper into the cigar.

@96Brigadier
That was probably the most creative BS way I've ever heard somebody describe the phenomenon so as to avoid saying it was mold. At least they didn't tell you it was plume!


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## eljimmy (Jun 27, 2009)

Looks like plume to me. A sign of aging.


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## eljimmy (Jun 27, 2009)

Plume or bloom is a fine white powder or dust which forms on cigars when oils exude from the tobacco as a result of aging. Plume is a good sign that a cigar has been properly aged, and it can easily be brushed off. Not to be confused with mold, which is a bluish fungus that stains the wrapper.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

eljimmy said:


> Looks like plume to me. A sign of aging.


Nothing about that looks like plume. Plume is crystalline and evenly distributed over the cigar whereas this is fuzzy and in patches.


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## Habanolover (Feb 22, 2006)

eljimmy said:


> Plume or bloom is a fine white powder or dust which forms on cigars when oils exude from the tobacco as a result of aging. Plume is a good sign that a cigar has been properly aged, and it can easily be brushed off. Not to be confused with mold, which is a bluish fungus that stains the wrapper.


Check out the following link.

*If it is white it is plume? NOT!*


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## karmaz00 (Dec 5, 2007)

not plume...100%


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## Snake Hips (May 30, 2008)

eljimmy said:


> Plume or bloom is a fine white powder or dust which forms on cigars when oils exude from the tobacco as a result of aging. Plume is a good sign that a cigar has been properly aged, and it can easily be brushed off. Not to be confused with mold, which is a bluish fungus that stains the wrapper.


First of all, the pictures show no plume. They do clearly show mold. Second of all, the cigars are fresh, not aged in any way.


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

It was definitely mold, it was white, fuzzy, and stuck out away from the cigar.

On the topic of how old those cigars are, the date stamp on the box said March 08. It was probably a stupid question to ask the retailer, but I sent them a note last night asking whether the date on the box is the date of those specific cigars, or do they ever take the cigars out of the box (for whatever reason) and get put into a different box. Here is the response:



> Bonjour Monsieur <my last name removed>, Thank you for your mail. I hope you are well. The box codes on the bottom of the box is the date the cigars were rolled and boxed in Cuba. These are Habanos S.A. box codes. Naturally, the cigars that are in the box come from that box. I am not sure I understand your question. Please advise if you need further information. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Enjoy ! Yours sincerely


So it looks like this box is in fact a tad over 1.5 years old already.

Last night I took them back out of the humidor and wiped them all down with a cloth just to be sure. After what everyone in this thread said though I'm not worried about it anymore, they should be fine.


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## Shaz (Oct 10, 2008)

Yeah. If a seller would go to the length of putting different cigars in a box, then the authenticity of the cigars would also be in question. The purpose of them opening the box is to check on their condition prior to shipping. That's all. So switching boxes would be unscrupulous.
BTW, if opened boxes is a concern to you, you can always ask them to ship them unopened.
It all boils down to trusting your source. And your source is a good one.:thumb:


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

Shaz said:


> Yeah. If a seller would go to the length of putting different cigars in a box, then the authenticity of the cigars would also be in question. The purpose of them opening the box is to check on their condition prior to shipping. That's all. So switching boxes would be unscrupulous.
> BTW, if opened boxes is a concern to you, you can always ask them to ship them unopened.
> It all boils down to trusting your source. And your source is a good one.:thumb:


Agreed, it was a bit of a dumb question on my part, but being new to the online ordering world I felt the need to ask. This source as you said is a good one, the fact that the box was opened doesn't bother me (not anymore anyways, and won't in the future).


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## SmoknTaz (Jun 18, 2008)

Now that you have been put at ease Steve, Congrats on your latest purchase!


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## Shaz (Oct 10, 2008)

Yeah. Lets smoke some cigars.:hungry:


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

This has been not only an educational thread but very informative in how to handle orders where you have questions or issues with a product. While it is not "bad form" to ask questions and get a fair and honest answer it sometimes happens that we can jump the gun and make something bigger than it should have been. The first thing that was done was to get the retailor involved and see what the explanatioin is and what should be done about it and from what I saw as to what they said that qualifies as them doing what they should have,,,that is Customer Service and when applied in the right way, always works. Glad things worked out for you and enjoy those cigars.


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## Gromulin (Oct 24, 2008)

I've had a box or two with similar small mold spots on a few sticks. It brushes right off, and does not affect the smoke. I agree that some distributors ship "wet" to make up for the transit time, and that sucks, but IMAO as long as it's just a few small spots...wipe them off, get them into the 60-65% range for a few weeks and no worries.

If it was a bigger mold problem, then I'd return. As long as your coolerdor isn't too wet, you should have no problems.


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

Gromulin said:


> I've had a box or two with similar small mold spots on a few sticks. It brushes right off, and does not affect the smoke. I agree that some distributors ship "wet" to make up for the transit time, and that sucks, but IMAO as long as it's just a few small spots...wipe them off, get them into the 60-65% range for a few weeks and no worries.
> 
> If it was a bigger mold problem, then I'd return. As long as your coolerdor isn't too wet, you should have no problems.


Been a week now and no problems. My humidor is right at 65%, not expecting any issues. I haven't smoked one of them yet but my buddy did on the weekend, looked like it had a great burn, he said it was a great draw, etc.


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